Are electric violins worth consideration?

August 12, 2015 at 03:07 AM · Intonation is not "better" on your electric violin, it's just less audible precisely because of the "overtones" that it lacks.

August 12, 2015 at 03:46 AM · My intonation is better once I have packed enough cotton balls firmly in my ears...

August 12, 2015 at 04:22 AM · Darlene...I can't quite puzzle out exactly what it is you want. I understand the day-day variation you think you are hearing annoys you...

Have you ever tried a mandolin? Once you develop a decent tremolo it's a lovely sound. And you can chord on it. I was just thinking that maybe the frets will work for you.

August 12, 2015 at 06:41 AM · The best violins sound different day to day, city to city, season to season.

The best violinists deal with those differences. The better the violin, the more sensitive it is to changes in the environment.

The electric aspect of the violin is only as constant as the quality of your equipment.

I listen to and adjust violin for a living. My allergies cause changes in what I hear on a daily basis.

Even with the electric violin and a fine amp, you'll hear it different each and every day.

August 12, 2015 at 01:07 PM · Let's distinguish between a traditional violin with an electric pickup, and an electric violin where the body is there only to present the geometry of the strings for playing.

The former depends on a frequently temperamental thin, wood shell to color and amplify the tone of the strings.

The latter takes the energy and timbre of the strings, amplifies it and sends it to a speaker. The body is there only to reproduce the geometry of the strings to the fingers and bow.

A well made electric violin should be impervious to environmental changes, and not suffer from maladies that commonly affect traditional violins, like uneven response in certain note ranges, and harsh and wolf tones at certain frequencies.

What you hear is what your fingers and bow create.

You can find conversations on the internet of world famous violinists talking about their multi-million dollar violins. Tremendous tonal range, dynamics, loudness and projection can come at a steep price in ease of play.

August 12, 2015 at 01:29 PM · My electric is a solid body with a small 10 watt amp.

I think that the subdued harmonic content can be a help sometimes.

Seraphim .... Have you tried fret tapes ?

August 12, 2015 at 01:57 PM · Duane wrote, "The better the violin, the more sensitive it is to changes in the environment."

I don't accept this claim without evidence. The best violin I have ever owned is also the most stable.

One thing I see nowadays is that many students of the violin, especially teenage students, get into the habit of tuning their violins by tugging violently on the strings or pushing on them inside the pegbox. They're advanced enough to hear out-of-tune strings but either they haven't developed good tuning technique or their violins have bad pegs. It's one thing if you are playing in a string quartet and realize that your D string is a little low, but it's not a good idea for this pushing-and-pulling to become one's go-to method of tuning one's violin before daily practice. I hypothesize (but do not claim) that this tuning method is the cause of much observed violin instability.

I don't see how you can ever learn to play in tune with a solid-body electric violin. Does it even have "ring tones" at all?

August 12, 2015 at 11:35 PM · A quote especially for Darlene, "Don't ever,ever, ever, ever give up." Winston Churchill. It is a wonderful maxim inculcated in my psyche and handy to think of in frustrating

moments in life.

Stick with your violin and practice routine Darlene. Perhaps switch things up and work on easier pieces, or maybe more practice time on fun stuff you enjoy playing and just wait for the motivation to come back to work on your difficult exercises. I for one like to read the questions you pose here on this forum, and the replies to your questions from brilliant players around the world. Pretty cool.

August 13, 2015 at 12:08 AM · Paul. My electric requires a lot of imagination to even begin to approach the violin sound we are used to. However, there is a lot of equipment out there to manipulate spectrums/effects.

I have owned 5 acoustic violins (max $2k) and they were all a nuisance but I've lived in some extreme conditions.

How does a person know how an acoustic will behave after months, years? (If violins are constantly changing or aging, I wonder if Stradivarus ever heard a Strad?)

I think I have the impression that electric pitch is better because the simplified feedback makes it easier to identify the notes.

I also like that I can play softly without any special bow techniques.

August 13, 2015 at 12:54 AM · If you like it better, then go right ahead and play it. No need for approval from the online community.

I believe you like Helicores? Dada rio also makes special strings specifically for electric violins.

August 13, 2015 at 04:07 AM · I plan to follow through and give the electric more of a chance but I have to make up my mind before the holidays in case I have to play something at church.

Yes, I favor Helicores but my guess is that the electric will want "softer" strings for more violin sound but I'm not sure what that will be?

I think the original dealer strings were Tonica.

August 13, 2015 at 01:44 PM · .. I wonder if Stradivarus ever heard a Strad?...

Well, no. He heard the Baroque version of his violins. The ones still being played have been heavily modified.